Our History Topics

Reception– Reception begin the year by learning about themselves and their family. They share information about their lives and begin to think about how humans change by playing in the baby clinic role play area.

Throughout the year, the children begin to learn the basic skills of history by looking at change over the year, focussing on the seasons, night and day and the date.

Year One- Year One also begin the year by learning about themselves. The children learn about how their teacher has changed over their lifetime, then look at changes in their own lives. They learn about our local area and take a local area walk to spot important landmarks, both old and new.

In the summer term, the children learn about three important figures to the history of nursing: Florence Nightingale, Edith Cavell and Mary Seacole. The children enjoy a visit from Florence Nightingale, who uses drama to explore her early life and work at Scutari hospital. They then learn about Edith Cavell and Mary Seacole, and compare their lives and contributions to nursing.

Our Year One classes also learn about a seminal point in modern history: the first moon landing in 1969. The children use a variety of sources to gain a full understanding of the importance of this event, including news reports, photographs and videos. They then communicate what they have learnt by writing a recount.

Year Two- Children in Year Two begin the year by looking at our local area. They learn about the buildings from different times, and learn how to identify the differences between older and more modern houses.

In the spring, the children learn about the Great Fire of London. They begin the topic by using drama to imagine what life was like in Stuart times, then use a range of sources to explore the reasons behind the event. The children communicate what they have learnt through writing a report and a story from the viewpoint of a Stuart child.

Our final topic in Year 2, The Titanic, begins with a trip to the Liverpool Maritime museum to see the Titanic exhibition. The children use drama to empathise with the passengers on the ship and create lapbooks which explore the reasons behind the sinking.

Year Three- Our Year Three children take a trip back to the very earliest days of human settlement in Britain by studying the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. The children visit Poole’s Cavern to help imagine what life may have been like for early man, and build their own Iron Age villages.

In the summer, our Year Three classes undertake a historical study of our local area. They take a local area walk and identify buildings of historical importance. They use maps to learn about how Chadderton changed during the Industrial Revolution, and pretend to be cotton workers at Quarry Bank Mill, Styal.

Year Four- Our Year Four classes begin the year by learning about the Ancient Egyptians. They learn about hieroglyphs and pyramids, ancient gods and the gory process of mummification! Children use artefacts to gain a deeper understanding of Ancient Egyptian life.

In spring and summer, the Year Four children look at the Roman invasion of Britain. They learn about the might of the Roman Empire and its legacy for Britain. During this topic, the children visit Dewa (Roman Chester) and become centurions for a day!

Year Five- Children in Year Five learn about the Anglo Saxon and Viking invaders of Britain. They also study the Ancient Greeks in the summer term and enjoy a visit from an Ancient Greek who teaches them about daily life and warfare in Greece.

Year Six- In the autumn term, our Year Six children learn about crime and punishment across the ages, focussing on Tudor, Victorian and the modern day. They visit the Police Museum and the local police station with our PCSO and learn what it is like to be in the cells!

In the spring, the children learn about World War Two. They visit Leeds Armouries and use artefacts to explore what life was like during the war.

Summer term finds our Year Sixes studying the rise of Islamic civilisation. They learn about the creation of Baghdad and the scientific and technical advances made by early Islamic pioneers.